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Posts From Tom Allen, Extension Plant Pathologist

Southern Blight of Soybean Observed in a Few Isolated Fields

🕔12:50, 18.May 2012

Over the past week a few soybean fields in the Delta have been observed with the characteristic symptoms and signs of southern blight. Typically, southern blight is a disease of rare occurrence; however, the prevailing environmental conditions seem to be causing added stress and increasing the incidence of this particular disease.

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Corn Disease Update and Tassel Fungicide Decisions: May 15, 2012

🕔17:39, 15.May 2012

The corn crop appears to be much earlier this year than it has over the recent past.  I’ve driven by numerous fields from south Washington County to north Bolivar County where almost 100% of the field has reached the tasseling

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Thrips in Peanuts and Their Impact on Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus (TSWV)

🕔11:14, 4.May 2012

There have been a lot of questions recently about thrips control in peanuts. In general, thrips will not hurt peanut yields except in EXTREME situations. Peanut seedlings are relatively vigorous compared to most of the crops grown in Mississippi. Foliar insecticide applications, though rarely needed, should be based on plant injury rather than thrips numbers.

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Soybean Seedling Disease Identification: Pythium Damping-off and Root Rot

🕔09:37, 3.May 2012

Environment is the key component in the expression of every plant disease.  Especially when considering the occurrence of seedling diseases we typically have a situation in place where inoculum is present in the soil, more than likely in high quantities,

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Corn Holcus Leaf Spot Occurring in the Central Delta

🕔08:10, 21.Apr 2012

Holcus leaf spot, a leaf spot of corn caused by a bacterium, has been confirmed across a wide geographic area in the Mississippi Delta over the past two weeks. The disease is typically characterized by numerous cream to white lesions on the corn leaf that can oftentimes be confused with herbicide (paraquat) drift.

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Septoria Leaf Blotch, Stagonospora Leaf and Glume Blotch, and Bacterial Leaf Streak of Wheat

🕔22:16, 15.Apr 2012

In addition to the wheat rusts we’ve been observing over the past few months throughout our wheat production area, numerous additional foliar disease have been observed. The abnormally warm temperature and heavy dews we’ve experienced over the past several weeks have allowed several other wheat diseases to occur.

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2012 Mississippi Soybean Sentinel Plot Program

🕔17:47, 13.Apr 2012

Sentinel plots will continue to be used to monitor for yield-limiting diseases throughout MS during the 2012 season. Even though in the past sentinel plots have more typically been used to monitor for the presence of soybean rust, the plots will be used to monitor for all economically important soybean diseases.

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Current Wheat Rust Situation: April 12, 2012

🕔20:54, 12.Apr 2012

Heavy leaf and stripe rust sporulation continues to be a concern throughout much of the wheat production area in MS.

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Wheat Disease Update: March 29

🕔23:27, 29.Mar 2012

Wheat diseases continue to be identified throughout the MS production area. Barley yellow dwarf virus, leaf rust, powdery mildew, and stripe rust are all present in limited situations in several counties.

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Wheat Leaf Rust and Stripe Rust Update: March 2, 2012

🕔13:03, 2.Mar 2012

Over the past two weeks the reports of both stripe and leaf rust of wheat have increased in MS. The following blog article provides information regarding the developing situation. The continued unseasonably warm environmental conditions may contribute to an increase in stripe rust severity this season.

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Stripe Rust Detected in Mississippi Wheat

🕔08:02, 6.Feb 2012

Stripe rust was detected in a Bolivar County wheat field last Monday morning (January 30, 2012). The report is the first of stripe rust from MS in 2012 and the second report of the disease from wheat east of the Rocky Mountains.

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Cercospora Blight of Soybean, the Cause of Premature Leaf Browning and Defoliation

🕔17:24, 17.Sep 2011

Severe Cercospora blight coupled with cooler temperatures as will as a cool north wind worked to defoliate soybean plants prematurely following Tropical Storm Lee.

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End of Season Cotton Management Decisions for Fields Infected with Bacterial Blight

🕔12:15, 6.Sep 2011

Since the middle of July, numerous fields have been confirmed to have cotton plants infected with the bacterium that causes bacterial blight. The majority of the cotton fields were contained within a few counties in the Delta (Bolivar, Coahoma, Leflore, Quitman, Sunflower, Tallahatchie, Washington), and a low number of exceptions outside of the Delta (Calhoun, Grenada, Monroe, Yalobusha). The organism that causes bacterial blight has the potential to overwinter on cotton stubble left standing in the field.

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General, Regional Soybean Disease Update: September 4, 2011

🕔20:18, 4.Sep 2011

The information included in this blog update originated from the soybean rust telephone conference held on August 29, 2011.

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Grain Sorghum Head Fungi

🕔16:50, 27.Aug 2011

Damaged grain sorghum panicles can allow many different fungi to enter and infect the developing grain or simply allow the fungus a place to reproduce if a kernel has been removed from the panicle itself.  A similar situation can occur

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Cotton: Foliar Fungal Diseases Beginning to be Observed Throughout Delta

🕔11:47, 27.Aug 2011

Well, it is that time of year again. Seems over the past 5 seasons we begin to encounter foliar cotton diseases during this particular week in August. 2011 appears to be the year when the majority of these leaf spots are the worst they’ve been compared to the previous 4 seasons.

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Cotton Defoliation Video Conference Link

🕔10:45, 27.Aug 2011

The link for the Cotton Defoliation Videoconference that took place on August 26, 2011 is provided.

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Corn Ear Molds: What Color are Your Ears?

🕔13:15, 23.Aug 2011

This is the time of the year when I tend to get a ton of telephone calls regarding the presence of rotten (moldy) corn ears. Over the past few weeks I’ve observed a range of symptoms on corn ears. In extreme cases the entire ear was covered with fungal growth and corn kernels were beginning to sprout but in the less severe cases only the tip was covered with fungus. Many fungi can inhabit a corn ear and in some cases the specific fungus present will depend on health of the corn plant, whether or not the ear has sustained any damage (insect or otherwise), how far the ear filled out, previous crop in the field, length of time in the field past physiological maturity, plant stress and duration of the stress during the season, and environmental conditions.

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Cotton Boll Rot: Potential Implications of Bacterial Blight

🕔07:00, 19.Aug 2011

Bacterial blight (or angular leaf spot) continues to be the hot topic in cotton production even at this late stage in the season. With continued temperatures between 86 and 97°F as well as scattered rainfall throughout much of the state it is likely that bacterial blight will continue to defoliate plants and infect bolls.

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General Soybean Disease Update: August 13, 2011

🕔17:04, 13.Aug 2011

Southern MS On Monday and Tuesday (August 8 & 9) the soybean disease scouting crew made a tour through southern MS to scout soybean sentinel plots as well as commercial fields and kudzu.  Little if any disease was identified; however,

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2011 Cotton Bacterial Blight Trial Ratings: Stoneville, MS

🕔17:24, 29.Jul 2011

Currently, a trial is underway in Stoneville, MS to determine the impact of bacterial blight on the yield of some of the more commonly planted cotton varieties in MS.

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Aerial Web Blight of Soybean

🕔17:15, 22.Jul 2011

Soybean scouting continues throughout MS for foliar diseases.  Over the past week to ten days, aerial web blight has been identified in several fields in eastern and northeastern MS.  However, aerial blight has not been identified in the Delta and seems

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UPDATE: Bacterial Blight of Cotton

🕔11:38, 21.Jul 2011

Over the past 7 days, numerous cotton fields have been determined to be infected with bacterial blight, caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. malvacearum (formerly Xanthomonas campestris pv. malvacearum).  In addition to the growing number of acres in MS having been

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General Soybean Disease Update: Soybean Sentinel Plot Situation and Regional Soybean Rust Update, July 16, 2011

🕔17:04, 16.Jul 2011

The soybean crop is advancing regardless of the extreme environmental conditions encountered throughout MS.  At present, there are no foliar diseases of much consequence to report from either soybean sentinel plots or commercial fields.  A little frogeye leaf spot has

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ALERT: Bacterial Blight of Cotton

🕔21:04, 15.Jul 2011

Several fields of cotton in the Delta, as well as one field in Monroe County exhibiting symptoms of bacterial blight have been detected over the past 5 days.  In addition, a significant acreage of cotton in Arkansas has been determined

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